PPP leaders gather outside Cheong Wa Dae to protest special counsel bill
Quick Look
South Korea's opposition People Power Party protested outside Cheong Wa Dae against a special counsel bill targeting alleged fabricated indictments against President Lee Jae Myung, which passed the National Assembly and is expected at Tuesday's Cabinet meeting.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The ruling Democratic Party passed a bill calling for a special counsel investigation into alleged fabricated indictments against President Lee Jae Myung and others during the prosecution under former President Yoon Suk Yeol. Lee's trials have been suspended under a Constitutional article exempting a sitting president from criminal prosecution except in cases of insurrection or treason.
Leaders of the main opposition People Power Party gathered outside Cheong Wa Dae on Monday to protest the recent passage of a bill calling for a special counsel investigation into alleged fabricated indictments targeting President Lee Jae Myung and others.
The PPP leadership held a Supreme Council meeting outside the presidential office, after the ruling Democratic Party railroaded the bill through a plenary session of the National Assembly on Friday.
The legislation calls for appointing an independent counsel to investigate suspicions the prosecution under former President Yoon Suk Yeol fabricated evidence or induced false testimonies to build cases against then opposition leader Lee and others.
The PPP has denounced the effort as a pretext to cancel all of Lee's indictments, as his trials have been suspended under an article of the Constitution that exempts a sitting president from criminal prosecution except in cases of insurrection or treason.
Lee faces charges of involvement in corrupt development schemes, illegal remittances to North Korea, and the misuse of a government charge card, stemming from his time as mayor of Seongnam or governor of Gyeonggi Province.
"Lee Jae Myung's 'prison break bill' has passed the National Assembly and arrived at Cheong Wa Dae," PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok said during the meeting, suggesting it would be approved at Tuesday's Cabinet meeting. "The key to freeing prisoner Lee Jae Myung has been placed in prisoner Lee Jae Myung's hands."
Jang warned of judgment from the people should the bill be approved, including through possible impeachment.
The PPP's resistance to the bill has taken various forms, with a rally held Friday outside the National Assembly and a massive outdoor rally staged near Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul on Saturday.
A relay of one-person protests outside Cheong Wa Dae has been scheduled for Monday. Rep. Jeong Jeom-sig, the party's floor leader, started it off as the first participant.
On Tuesday, the party has vowed to hold a general meeting of lawmakers outside the presidential office. (Yonhap)
What to Watch
AI outlook โ possibilities, not facts
The Cabinet will approve the special counsel bill at Tuesday's meeting.
Likely ยท Within days
The PPP will hold a general meeting of lawmakers outside the presidential office on Tuesday.
Very likely ยท Within days
Open Questions
- Will the Cabinet approve the bill at Tuesday's meeting?
- What specific evidence or testimonies does the PPP allege were fabricated?
- What is the status of Lee's pending trials?
